Starbucks turns 40

March 28, 2011

Starbucks went into business 40 years ago Wednesday, and coffee drinking hasn't been the same. The Seattle-based innovator made the "small" into the "tall," the clerk into the barista and the complex order into performance art and punch line — shot-of-this, skinny-that, 180-degrees, please.

It even went global, winning converts in the tea-drinking strongholds of Japan and Britain. China, you're next.

What Starbucks didn't do, however, is make coffee the adult beverage of choice once again. Despite the chain's visibility, coffee consumption in the U.S. peaked decades ago.

Anyone who thinks America is big on the bean today should turn back the clock to 1946: Our soldiers had returned from war, evidently hankering for caffeine. We brewed 46.4 gallons per capita that year, almost double the amount today.

What changed? Soda pop took off, and more recently bottled water. As women joined the workforce, fewer prepared coffee at home. Supermarket sales plunged.

By the time Starbucks got rolling on March 30, 1971, coffee had become a commodity in every sense of the word. It was typically among the cheapest items on the menu at any given diner.

Four bucks for a cup of joe? No one would have believed it.

The genius of Starbucks was turning the everyday into an affordable luxury, while defying retail conventions with its ridiculously inflated prices and stores located across the street from each other. The satirical Onion newspaper once lampooned the coffee chain for opening its newest Starbucks in the restroom of an existing Starbucks.

These outlets have become hangouts on lazy days and work centers on busy ones. The brutal recession highlighted their value as offices of last resort. Critics who see only a soulless imitation of independent coffeehouses should consider how the vibe in each Starbucks differs, at least a little — a testament to how this corporate giant has woven itself into the fabric of its communities.

Starbucks' success has raised the bar. Latecomers to the gourmet-java biz such as McDonald's Corp. now offer upgraded brews that put to shame the hours-old mud of yore. The Oak Brook-based hamburger chain reported this month that its U.S. sales got a significant boost from the "McCafe" line of lattes, cappuccinos and related drinks.

So thanks, Starbucks, on your 40th birthday, for making it easier to find a decent cup of coffee — in your stores and in many others, too.